Top loading article carrier



April 23, 1963 E. J. GRASER TOP LOADING ARTICLE CARRIER Filed NOV. l,1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 EEG-2 INVENTOR. EARL J. GRASER ATTORNEY April 23,1963 E. J. GRASER 3,086,680

TOP LOADING ARTICLE CARRIER Filed Nov. 1, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. EARL J. GRASER BY mam ATTORNEY April 23, 1963 E. J. GRASER TOPLOADING ARTICLE CARRIER Filed NOV- 1, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

EARL J. GRASER ATTORNEY April 23, 1963 E. J. GRASER 3,086,680

TOP LOADING ARTICLE CARRIER Filed Nov. 1, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4INVENTOR. EARL J. GRASER UR [M ATTO RNEY United States Patent Ofifice3,086,689 Patented Apr. 23, 1963 3,036,680 TOP LOADING ARTICLE CR EarlJ. Graser, Monroe, La, assignor to Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation,a corporation of Virginia Filed Nov. 1, 1961, Ser. No. 149,384 1 Claim.((31. 220-112) The present invention relates to article carriers and inparticular relates to top loading article carriers of the type in whichindividual units, such as glass bottles, are disposed in side-by-siderows, usually two rows where each row consists of three articles.

A particular feature of the invention is the provision of a novel toploading article carrier fabricated from a. single blank of paperboardwhere each article housed in the carrier is separated from adjacentarticles by at least a single ply of paperboard.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of an articlecarrier of the above class in which the bottom of the carrier isprovided with a plurality of sockets arranged so that there is a socketindividual to each article.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of an articlecarrier fabricated from a single blank of board where the blank fromwhich the article is erected has a uniform and regular peripheralcontour free of notches, cut-outs, etc. so that the perimeter of theblank defines a regular rectangle which will readily nest with otherblanks of similar contour.

It is a further feature of the present invention to provide an articlecarrier of the above general class wherein the gluing steps necessary tobond the various margins of the blank together in fabricating thecarrier are accomplished by bonding marginal portions of the blank whichdefine generally parallel strips so that the gluing operation can beconducted in automatic machinery in a socalled straight line operation.

Stated otherwise, the structural features of the bottle carrier of thepresent invention are so designed and arranged that all gluing steps canbe conducted in a single straight line pass through a gluing machine.

Straight line operation, of course, is to be contrasted with slower andmore expensive carrier fabrication processes and machinery which requirethat the carrier be moved first along one path and then along a pathnormal to the first path to apply glue to strips or margins that areperpendicular to one another.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent from an examination of the succeeding specification when readin conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank from which a carton embracing theprinciples of the present invention may be erected;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 after two end folding steps have beenaccomplished;

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the appearance of the blank after three more foldingoperations;

FIG. 5 shows an end view of the folded and glued blank of FIG. 4partially erected;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fully erected carrier;

FIG. 7 is a partial view of the carrier of FIG. 6 with a bottleinserted;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a blank disclosing an alternative embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 9 shows the blank of FIG. 8 after two folding steps;

FIG. 10 shows the finally folded blank;

FIG. 11 shows the folded and glued blank of FIG. 10 partially erected,and;

FIG. 12 shows the fully erected carrier directed to the alternativeembodiment.

' Referring now to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates agenerally rectangular blank of board material having a uniform andregular perimeter defining a rectangle and embracing exterior sidewalls11 and 12, bottom walls 13 and 14, interior sidewalls 16 and 17, andhandle panels 18 and 19.

Throughout the drawings, dotted lines are intended to indicate scored orhinge lines, solid lines indicate through cuts, and hatching is intendedto designate glue lines or glue margins.

In fabricating the carrier, the blank of FIG. 1 is first painted withglue along parallel glue lines indicated by the hatching and referencenumerals 21, 22, 23, 24 and 26.

Next two end fold steps are performed by folding end margin, indicatedby the reference numeral 27, embracing a first socket structure, aboutscore lines 28 so that after the folding step the top portion of theblank, as viewed in FIG. 1, appears as is shown at the top of FIG. 2.

Next the interior side panel 17 contiguous with end margin 29 is foldedinwardly about score 31 so that this end of the blank takes the formshown at the bottom of FIG. 2.

Note that the opposed end margins 27 and 29 of the blank 10 embrace apattern of cut-outs which upon erection define socket structure locatedat the bottom interior of the carton as is apparent in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7.

The socket structure includes score lines 15, 20, 25 and 39. Ears 32,'33 and 34 are hinged at score line 28, and cars 36, 37 and 38 arehinged at score line 39. Through cuts 40 separate the cars from lips 41and 42.

In the next fabricating step the bottom wall 14 and its adjacent endmargin 27 is folded inwardly about score line 43 to the position shownat the right side of FIG. 3 while bottom panel 13 and contiguous panels16, 17 and end margin 29 are folded about score line 44 as shown on theleft side of FIG. 3.

The margin defined by score lines 28' and 46 are glued as at 47.

Thereafter the final fold is accomplished by rotating the right handportion of the blank of FIG. 3 into overlapping relationship relative tothe left hand portion thereof about the score line 48.

After this step, the blank of FIG. 1 is fully fabricated and glued andhas the configuration shown in FIG. 4.

Opening 49 represents a manual access opening and tabs 51 are rotatableabout score lines? 52, as necessary, to provide access for grasping thecarrier.

The glued and folded blank is erected by applying pressure at the pointslabelled P in FIG. 5, with the result that the carrier opens up fanningto a generally right angular structure shown in FIG. 6 so that thecarrier defines, upon erection, two side-by-side article receivingsections identified by the letters S.

The top walls W of each section are formed with a plurality of throughcuts and score lines defining end flaps 53 and 54 hinged to the topwalls by score lines 56 and 57 respectively.

The end flaps 53 and '54 are also formed with diametric score lines 58and 59 operative to provide a bowed effect when rotated to the operativeposition shown in FIG. 7.

In addition, the top walls W are formed with mating tabs 61 and 62operative to rotate about score lines 63 and 64 respectively.

Referring now to the bottom of the carrier, particularly theillustrations of FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, note that the structure defines apair of back-to-back steps each having a series of cut-outs or socketsoperative to engage and receive articles, such as bottle B, insertedinto the carrier from the top.

Note that upon inserting the bottles into the carrier,

there is a camming action wherein the end bottles of a given row cam theflaps 53 and 54 downwardly causing them to rotate about their hingedscore lines to the position shown in FIG. 7 while the center bottle ofeach row separates tabs 61 and 62 causing them to rotate downwardlyabout theirrespective score lines. Camming the tabs 61 and 62 out oftheir co-planar relationship and into a position normal to theiroriginal plane is operative to provide a partition between the centerbottle and its next adjacent end bottle.

correspondingly, the flaps 53 and 54 provide a protective cover for, theside of the bottle as shown in FIG. 7.

As a bottle, such as the bottle B, approaches the socket structure of anerected carton, the individual sockets are in the following condition:

. Lips 41 and 42 lay flat and are glued to their respective bottom walls13 and 14. Ears 32, 33 and 34 and 36, 37 and 38 are free to rotate abouttheir respective score lines 28 and 39 with the result that score lines15, 20, 25 and 3t) flex to establish a step-like structure havingintervening cut-outs providing sockets for he bottom of each bottle. Thestep is formed by risers 66 and the treads 67 while the individualsockets or cut-outs are formed by the rotation of the ears 32, 33-and-34 and 36, 37 and 38 rotating about theirrespective hinge lines.

The alternative embodiment of the invention disclosed in FIGS. 8 through12 is fabricated in generally the same fashion except the blank does notembrace socket structure.

- The blank indicated generally by the reference numeral 1% is firstpainted with glue along the margins referenced 4 fashion as described inconnection with FIG. 5 in that pressure is applied at the points PP.

The erected carton appears as is shown in FIG. 12, and although there isno socket structure at the bottom of the carton, the introduction ofbottles from the top of the carrier performs the same. camming actionrelative to flaps 118 and tabs 119 as previously described relative tothe FIG. 6 embodiment of the invention.

It is anticipated that a variety of design changes and other minormodifications of the present invention may be devised without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A top loading carrier fabricated from a single blank of cellulosic boardmaterial operable to receive at least two rows of articles where eachrow embraces two or more individual-articles and each article isseparated from another article by at least a single ply of cellulosicboard material comprising two adjacent carrier sections, each saidsectionhaving opposed sidewalls and opposed top and bottom walls, eachsaid top Wall being formed with a plurality of hinged, coplanar cut-outsoperative to rotate out of the plane of the top wall as the articles areloaded effective to provide transverse partitions which straddle eacharticle after it is received in a carrier, a plurality of articlereceiving sockets disposed in the bottom of each section operative toreceive and to retain the bottom of each article, said sockets of eachsection being characterized by a step-like structure having a riser anda hinged tread, the junction of the riser and the tread beingintercepted at spaced intervals by arcuate cut-outs, and a multiplyhandle formed integrally with said top walls and two of said side walls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS LuptonSept. 11, 1945 2,457,307 Hall Dec. 28, 1948 2,524,517 Cole Oct. 3, 19502,812,1G5 Parker Nov. 5, 1957 2,899,051 Barnby Aug. 11, 1959 2,967,003Forrer Jan. 3, 1961

